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"One good trick is worth ten old ones," says W. J. POLUHNI, the master workman in the field of magic and illusion, and
his programs are built with that commendable belief in the view.
The result is an entertainment extraordinary. The little tricks of illusion which delighted grandfather in his boyhood days have been very generally discarded, and in their stead are shown new and modern developments in an art as old as the history of man.
POLUHNI developed the art of entertainment through the instrumentality of magic at an early day. He was a born showman, and at ten years of age was able to duplicate most of the professional acts of that day. Mindreading early attracted him, and he pursued a regular course of instruction under the famous McCOSH, and Dr. JAMES. As a school boy he startled his townsfolk by blindfolding himself and driving a horse through the streets, to find an article secreted by his playfellows.
His mature years saw a development of his early abilities through careful study and months of experimenting. The work of the late lamented MARO delighted him, and he presents some special acts suggested by that master of magic. Two of his original productions, "Spirit Painting," in which unseen hands paint an oil canvas in full view of the audience, and his "Automobile Drive" (while blindfolded), have been pronounced, by no less an authority than the great KELLAR, "beyond comprehension."
POLUHNI'S company of two people are experts, performing their tasks with neatness and celerity, utterly confounding the audience. No guards are placed on the stage - in fact Mr. POLUHNI invites investigation, declaring that he has nothing to conceal, and that his work could be performed by any one possessed of ordinary gifts of exterity and discernment that they but devoted to it the years of study and practice which he has given.
In addition to being a great illusionist, POLUHNI is a splendid entertainer, a story-teller unique, a likable human being with a fine personaility and stage presence.
Ninteen years of world-wide experience, during which time he has appeared as a headliner on many of the great vaudeville circuits, mark him as a finished artist.
The performances of the POLUHNI company are enhanced by stage settings and special scenery which create the atmosphere of a wizard's studio. From the time the curtain rises to the close, there is not a moment lost. POLUHNI'S long experience in leading theatres has taught him the value of swift action, and every word and movement is that of the finished performer, unerring in his artistry and with a comprehensive knowledge of the niceties of stage-craft. His entertainment is refined enough to meet the requirements of the most cultured and yet entertaining enough to delight all classes. Embodied within the hours and a half of magic, illusion and incidental entertainment, is a brief program of musical novelties as surprising as it is delightful, giving a touch of variety to a big, bewildering, and altogether delightful review, embracing:
| Mind Reading | MODERN MAGIC |
| MYSTIC ILLUSION | RARE HUMOR |
| PSYCHOLOGY | STORY TELLING |
introducing more new and original acts than have been seen in any platform presentation of magic given in recent years.
 POLUHNI & Company Playbill |
 POLUHNI & Company Playbill |
 POLUHNI & Company Acts |
 POLUHNI & Company |
SOURCES:
University of Iowa Libraries/digital.lib.uiowa.edu/tc
Transcriptions by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2011.
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